Stress is the body's natural way of reacting to danger. But how we deal with it really affects our health. I say this because this week, I was really stressed and for the first time, I cried because I was so stressed. I'm embarrassed to say that but then again, crying is natural. It helped relieved some tension.

But, there are other ways that I believe you can relieve stress. Yes, crying can help. But, some people are embarrassed to cry in front of others (but you can cry in private too). Another way is to:

Exercise, such as doing yoga or going out for a walk/run.

Get a massage, which is another good way to relieve stress and tension in the muscle. Stress can affect you physically too.

Write things down can help relieve some stress.

I say this because stress is part of life and it's good to do know how to react to it and what to do to reduce it.

Crying because of stress build up opened my eyes and now, I know that also just talking to someone that you trust about your stresses in life can help too.

Now, let's get back to some other parts of life. One cool thing is that this week, I started This Fit Chick's Summer Slim Down Workout Program. My trainer's name is Carrie. I haven't been really following her nutrition plan much but I've been following her workouts.

Her workouts are so hard! I thought that I was in pretty decent shape myself but I was wrong. I'm a cardio person but this program mainly focuses on weight lifting. I feel so intimated at the weight room by those guys that lift so much heavier than me. But, I learned that they don't really care about your workout. They're focusing on their own workouts. I'm so sore from her workouts. I really hope I do see a change. It's a 4 week program!

Anyway, in my other aspects of life, I had no school on Monday since it was Cesar Chavez Day.

On Tuesday, we learned about DNA replication in my biology class. That was fun. Then, that day, I also went grocery shopping. Here's what I bought:

I've also been eating oatmeal made with almond milk, pb, ground cinnamon, truvia, and pb. It's so good and I've been drinking a cup of coffee with it. It's so good and filling. It's a must! It's also pretty much healthy. I'll post a picture next time.

On Wednesday, so many stressful things happened all in one day. Then, I found out that we have an essay exam for my history class on Wednesday (the next one). Now, my history professor's exams is not just writing one essay. It's writing TWO essays and responding with a paragraph response to 5 terms he chooses. At least he gives us a study guide beforehand. I'd rather not talk about the rest of that stress day but trust me, a lot of things happened. But, I did manage to eat somewhat healthy and somewhat along with Carrie's nutrition program that day. Here's a little of what I ate:

At the hospital, I bought a chicken salad sandwich without the bread. It was so good. It had craisins in it too.

Then, on Thursday, it was my night class day. We learned about Protein Synthesis in biology. In psychology, we learned about factorial designs. We have a test on Tuesday in my psychology class. Anyway, I also went to the Epicure restaurant to eat for lunch. The food was so good.

All the food is organic and the chicken on the salad was freshly made that day. I ordered the sweet potato fries and the Apple-Cranberry Harvest Salad. It came with slices of apples, candied pecans, dried cranberries, and gorgonzola cheese crumbles on a bed of mixed organic spring greens, tossed with raspberry vinaigrette (description came from the menu). Both were so good! The salad was delicious and the fries were just right. Not overly seasoned but still good. Mi pimo y yo agree that the sweet potato fries are the best!

Anyway, my night class ended early since there was a blackout that happened one hour into our 3 hour class. We were discussing an article we had to read and then, boom, the lights went out. Everyone on campus had to go outside. The power came back like 30 minutes later.

Friday, nothing really happened. I ran outside along the creek and I also played basketball. I have to say, my basketball skills are improving! It went through the hoop almost every single time I threw the ball. I got skills (not). I think it's just luck. Then, we went shopping later that day. I got the Triscuit Brown Rice made with Sweet Potato Roasted Sweet Onion. It's new and I actually like it. It tastes so good. It's crunchy, crispy, and the flavor is good. It looks a little bit oily but it's yummy and the nutrition is actually pretty good for packaged foods. I Just don't like how the serving size is just 6 crackers!

I also got the mayo made with olive oil (I rarely eat mayo, but my family eats it and I want them to eat a bit healthier) and I got the Maple Grove Farms of Vermont Sugar Raspberry Vinaigrette for my salad. It's only 5 calories a serving!

My mom also bought this cool smoothie juice thing. It's Bolthouse Farms Strawberry Banana juice. It says that it's all natural and uses real fruit. Based on the nutrition and the ingredients, it is better than other juices that are made with high fructose corn syrup.

Anyway, I guess that ends my post. I'm taking a rest day today since my muscles are so sore. Also, I've been working on my history study guide so that I can prepare for my exam.

Thanks, Arlene. And, yea. Everyone has their stressful days (or weeks). It's just the matter on how you deal with it. I'm glad that I'm not alone. And, yes, getting a massage can be better since stress can have a physical affect on your body and massages can help relieve the tension that builds up in the muscle.

College is so stressful, I hear you. I still have nightmares many years later that I didn't make it to a final in time, or I couldn't find the classroom. I made up a name for it, it's called "post college stress disorder". Of course you are not post yet, you are right in the middle of it. I wish I could of got a massage when I was in college. Would of loved that stress relief. My stress release was to go to the beach, listen to the waves crash :)

Hi Helen, I loved biology class and DNA replication! (In fact I am reviewing my college bio class notes for fun! I know I'm a nerd!) It's been years since I was in college and I sure did go through my stressful times! Once in grad school (full-time) I also had a full-time job and I HAD to make it work by planning everything ahead of time. Was I stressed out all the time? Heck yeah, but to a lesser degree. I still managed to get my 1 hour workouts in 5-6 days a week, sleep 7 hours and packed my lunch and snacks daily and see my family on the weekends. Wow, looking back I was pretty good. ;) So planning ahead was key for me. Good luck in your studies! (P.S. I wanted to share the link to a blog I wrote about stress in college, but I can't find the link :/

It seems that there is no way for us to escape from stress these days. Everything that we do and everywhere that we go seems stressful. The only way to deal with stress is to cope with it. My way of coping with stress is running... Running is like meditation to me and I feel extremely after a good run.

About Me

Hi everyone! I'm Helen, a recent college graduate with a BS in Nutrition and Food. I love baking, playing the cello, and nutrition/fitness. Nutrition and running are my passions. I also have a love for the Spanish language. Test me on my Spanish if you want to. I'll be glad to take the "challenge." Please go over to my new blog. http://hevilshealthydevil.com/
I hope to see you there!